A debate was held last night for the three candidates in the 144th Assembly race. Democrat Sam Hoyt, Republican Brian Biggie, and Conservative Joe Golombek squared off. Hoyt took a lot of heat for being a long-termer in a dysfunctional Assembly who has a working relationship with the hateful, execrable, despicable Sheldon Silver. But the best line of the night went to Hoyt who, after Golombek argued that Hoyt was Silver’s puppet, quipped that, “There is no bigger puppet in Buffalo than Joe Golombek, what Byron Brown wants Joe Golombek does.” Golombek refused to answer a question about abortion rights, and while Hoyt and Biggie support marriage equality, Golombek does not.

UPDATE: Joe Golombek writes with this clarification/correction:

I specifically said that I support the law of NYS in regards to abortion. Then I said that it was a non-issue because of the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade. That is when I told Mr. Hoyt that it should not be a political issue and that he uses it as one to get supporters emotionally charged up.

Golombek went on to allege that every single audience question (except for one) came from people in some way associated with the Hoyt campaign.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in Buffalo yesterday to announce a new GI Bill. noting that one in five returning post-9/11 veterans are out of work, this bill would provide returning vets up to $20,000 per year to attend a private college, and free tuition at any state college or university. The announcement was made at Daemen College alongside local veterans.

The “Take Back New York” bus that the state GOP is trundling around the state stopped off in Buffalo yesterday.

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Here are some pictures:

Not a great message

The Republicans in Buffalo

Clown

Maybe Paladino's duck isn't such a great idea if I can frame pictures like this